La lucha por el relato: Medios visuales, estado y desinformación en Colombia

Abstract

This article delves into one of the most complex challenges facing contemporary democracy in Colombia: the management of informative or misleading narratives by the State in a context of profound social and media polarization throughout the country. Focusing on a specific timeframe —the administrations of Iván Duque (2018–2022) and Gustavo Petro (2022–2024)— the study examines how each government, with its distinct ideological leanings, communicative styles, and relationships with television media, responded to the growing spread of deceptive, manipulated, or blatantly false narratives within visual media—both public and private television. This arena, where moving images and words combine, has become central to the construction and contestation of meaning in public opinion, ultimately shaping the governance of each presidential term. The analysis centers on the methods and strategies employed by state institutions either to confront or exacerbate this phenomenon, exploring how such interventions have influenced not only the flow of information but also the public’s perception of truth, the metrics of official actions, the legitimacy of power, and the role of the media as either guardians of democracy or instruments of propaganda. Using a qualitative methodology that integrates the analysis of official discourses, regulatory frameworks, audiovisual content, and emblematic media cases, the article reconstructs the tensions between governmental communication, the right to information, and freedom of expression in Colombian television. The study reveals that although both administrations acknowledged the problem of disinformation and took steps to address it, their approaches were markedly different—guided by logics of confrontation, co-optation, or institutionalization of public discourse. In some instances, these actions sparked legitimate debates about the State’s responsibility in the face of informational chaos; in others, they gave rise to controversies around the risks of censorship, narrative manipulation, and the erosion of trust in long-standing democratic institutions. Rather than offering a definitive answer, this work aims to raise urgent questions about the fragile balance between governability, non-manipulated governance, communication, and truth in the construction of public narratives—especially in an era where what is seen and heard can either clarify or obscure reality.